Introduction:

This briefing document summarises the core concepts of Appreciative Inquiry (AI) as presented in the provided excerpt. AI is positioned as an alternative approach to organisational improvement, shifting the focus from identifying problems to discovering and leveraging existing strengths. This document aims to provide a clear understanding of AI’s fundamental principles and potential applications, particularly for managers.

Key Themes and Ideas:

1. Paradigm Shift in Organisational Improvement:

• The fundamental idea behind Appreciative Inquiry is to reverse the typical problem-focused approach to organisational improvement. Instead of seeking out “drawbacks, deficits, and flaws,” AI encourages identifying and building upon “what works out best” within the organisation.
• This represents a shift from a deficit-based model to an asset-based one, focusing on positive attributes and existing successes.
• The excerpt suggests that traditional methods often dwell on the negative and that AI provides an alternative, potentially more effective route to progress.

1. Focus on Strengths and Success:

• AI is described as a “new perspective of thinking” that actively looks for “the conditions in which an organization works best.” This suggests a process of deliberate and systematic discovery of positive attributes and successful practices.
• The aim is to “determine what works out best” and use these findings to develop effective solutions. This emphasizes the importance of evidence-based improvement that is rooted in the organisation’s own successful experiences.
• By identifying and understanding what already works well, organisations can amplify these strengths to improve productivity and overall performance.

1. Positive and Proactive Approach:

• The very name “Appreciative Inquiry” implies an attitude of valuing and recognising the positive aspects of an organisation. This emphasis on the positive creates a more engaging and empowering environment compared to a deficit-based, negative orientation.
• AI seeks to build on existing success by using a lens that finds “solutions that have already been proven effective”. This proactive approach suggests it’s better to learn from the organisation’s own experience than to rely on purely external or theoretical models.

1. Application for Managers:

• The tutorial is explicitly designed to be useful for managers in any industry.
• AI is presented as a tool that can be used by managers to “extract the best from their team members” which suggests that the methodology will foster collaboration and teamwork.
• The long term outcome of using AI is understood to be increased “productivity of the system.” This suggests a more efficient and effective working environment can be created by applying this method.

Key Quotes:

• “Appreciative Inquiry is a new perspective of thinking, where the conditions in which an organization works best is closely assessed, contrary to the usual idea of finding out drawbacks, deficits, and flaws within an organization to improve its functioning.”
• “In this tutorial, we will try to figure out how one can use the power of Appreciative Inquiry to determine what works out best for his organization and come up with solutions that have already been proven effective.”
• “It will sensitize them about the art of Appreciative Inquiry in extracting the best from their team members and increasing the productivity of the system in the long run.”

Conclusion:

The provided excerpt clearly introduces Appreciative Inquiry as a powerful alternative to problem-focused approaches to organisational development. By concentrating on the strengths and successes within a system, managers can utilize AI to foster collaboration, and ultimately increase productivity. AI offers a framework for proactively building upon an organisation’s existing best practices to achieve long-term success. This method moves from a position of what is wrong to what is right and allows for the generation of solutions that are already proven effective.

Next Steps (Recommendations):

Further research into the specific methods of conducting Appreciative Inquiry is recommended. This would include examining the stages of the 4-D cycle: Discovery, Dream, Design, and Destiny. Understanding the various techniques that can be employed, such as structured interviews and story-telling, would be beneficial for further exploration of AI.